Make Calls for Climate and Democracy Today

Did you make a New Year's Resolution to become more politically active?  Keep your resolution today by making calls to your representatives.  Our power is greater when more of us call with a clear message at the same time.  So make your calls today. In most cases, you are simply leaving a voicemail, but those voicemails matter to the people who need your vote.  

Click HERE for a call list and simple scripts you can use to tell your elected officials to pass critical bills in Congress to stop Republican election subversion and protect voting rights and pass Biden's economic plan.  Then, continue down the call list to our NYS leaders and tell them to pass the CCIA to fund a just green economy for New York.  

Calls to elected officials are not "sexy."  The photos of your action don't make the evening news or get printed in the newspaper.  You can do them in your bathrobe, on your treadmill or dog walk, or on your lunch break at work.  They take just a few minutes start to finish.  And yet they are powerful.  Frequent pressure on our representatives is how they know what their constituents demand of them. 

***If you want to amplify your impact, it's always a good idea to email your friends and ask them to call too (you can use this link to make it easy), or post on your Facebook page or tweet that you made your call.  The best thing about using Twitter is that if you use the Twitter handle of your rep, they and their followers will see that you are putting them on notice to vote yes on the bill.  

Thanks for taking action today.  Together, we are making a difference!
 

Don't Get Cold Feet, Democrats! Rally a HUGE Success

Our Jan. 6th democracy rally near Utica College yesterday was a big success! Here's how it went down:

1) More than 30 people attended in the afternoon during a very cold day, including several first time IMV attendees, a child, and even three dogs!
2) Thanks to our generous members, IMV collected 66 pairs of socks to donate to the homeless, and raised more than $300 to provide socks for the homeless at The Morrow Warming Center.
3) Many of the socks were purchased through SoledierSocks, a company with local Mohawk Valley ties which provided free shipping. For every pair of thick, warm, American made socks we purchased through SoleiderSocks, they sent a pair to active duty troops. The socks we purchased are going to homeless people in Utica. So it's a double duty fundraiser! (SoledierSocks was featured on The Today Show yesterday morning).
4) Our media advisory caught the attention

Even if you were not able to attend our Dems Don't Get Cold Feet Rally, you can call Sen. Schumer right now and tell him you want the John Lewis Voting Rights bill and the Freedom to Vote Act bill passed by Martin Luther King Day, even if he has to eliminate the filibuster to do it!

Letters to the Editor

The Utica OD published Katy Timpano's letter about how President Biden's Build Back Better bill will support our local fight against childhood lead poisoning.  What a great letter!  The next ten days are CRITICAL for passing the democracy bills that will stop Republican election subversion across the country, and protect voting rights.  Will you write a letter about how important it is to pass those bills?  
 

IMV Issue Groups: Health Care & Climate Crisis

We have two groups actively meeting each month on Zoom to work on getting NYS legislators to pass bills that have not quite come to the floor in the past couple of sessions, but deserve to be passed in the next few months: NY Health Act and the CCIA (The Climate & Community Investment Act).  

Please check the calendar below.  Our Health Care group meets the first Wednesday each month, and our Climate Crisis Workgroup meets the last Monday of each month.  The climate group is also participating in a NY Renews rally at the capital in Albany on Tuesday, Jan. 25th.  

One of the best things about working on these state issues is that we get to know people from around the state through groups like the NY Health Campaign and NY Renews who are just as passionate as we are.  Let's keep building our network with activists who are making New York better.  
 

It's #FilibusterFriday on Twitter

 Our very own Sarah Reeske has been spearheading #FilibusterFriday, a national Indivisible social media campaign to persuade our reps on Congress to enact democracy reform even if it means changing Senate rules.  She has refreshed the toolkit for the "make or break" month of January 2022 using all her creative juices.  If you're on Twitter, we need you! 
 

IMV Signs on in Support of NY Public Banking Act

This week, IMV joined more than a hundred other groups across the state when we signed on to this letter in support of a transformational strategy for racial and economic justice and a just recovery, the NY Public Banking Act.

A groundbreaking bill before the NYS Legislature, the NY Public Banking Act, creates a pathway for cities and counties to get our public money out of Wall St. banks, and create financial institutions owned by the people and established to serve the public good. Through public banking, we can invest our public money in permanently-affordable housing, living-wage jobs, small and worker owned businesses, renewable energy, and other critical community needs.

#SinceJan6 

Yesterday was a tough day. We can't forget what happened, but we also must demand action from our leaders to prevent another assault on our democracy whether it comes as a single violent attack on our institutions or whether it is a slow moving subversion of elections in statehouses across the country. IMV has been "on the job" standing up for democracy for more than five years--after 2016 and also #SinceJan6. Let's keep up this good work in 2022. Please make sure our January 23rd meeting is on your calendar. We can't wait to connect and plan a new year of political solidarity and activism with you!

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